This invention relates to skateboards in general, and more particularly, to a skateboard having speed control means.
The resurgence of interest in skateboards has been well documented in the press during the last year. Skateboards were first seen in the mid-60s when surfers used them to practice and develop their surfing skills on "sidewalk surfboards." Over the last decade, attempts to improve the control and stability of skateboards have significantly advanced skateboard design and construction. The new skateboard, with its flexible chassis, wide, stable steering trucks and precision bearing urethane wheels, is a far cry from the "sidewalk surfer" of the 1960s. These improvements have made skateboarding safer and more enjoyable for a larger group of people and now skateboarding has come into its own both as a recreational activity and as a sport in which amateurs and professionals alike can compete for prizes in events ranging from freestyle acrobatics to high-speed slalom and downhill racing.
Unfortunately, with the increase in skateboarding popularity there has been a concomitant increase in skateboard related injuries. At present, the direction and speed of the skateboard is limited to the dexterity of the rider. Directional control is achieved by leaning in the direction one would like to steer. Speed control is achieved by steering transversely to the hill in a zig-zag manner. The only practical way for the rider to stop is to jump off his skateboard because the current skateboards have no brakes.
Jumping from the skateboard imposes some very obvious and dangerous constraints on the skateboard rider. This is especially pertinent because skateboarding has now become a high-speed, hill coasting sport. Additionally, once the skateboard rider has fallen or jumped from his skateboard, the skateboard continues to plummet down the hill and many have been injured by run-a-way skateboards.
The art of coasters and roller skates contains various illustrations of braking systems. Examples of such braking systems are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos: 225,361; 1,026,712; 1,890,755; 2,014,060; 3,180,678; 3,224,785 and 3,288,251. The ground contacting rub block braking systems shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 225,361 and 1,890,755 are not suitable for controlling modern day high-speed skateboards. The wheel contacting braking systems shown in the other patents are generally unsatisfactory or impractical for skateboards.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide an improved skateboard with speed-control means.
It is a specific object of the invention to provide a speed control means that does not require steering changes to maintain speed control
It is another object of the invention to provide a speed control means for braking to a full stop without jumping from the skateboard.
It is still another object of the invention to provide for automatic engagement of the speed-control means when the rider either jumps or falls off of the skateboard.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a skateboard having a flexible and resilient, generally planar chassis in which the amount and direction of flexing of the chassis controls the proportional engagement and disengagement of the brake means.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a skateboard with speed-control means in which the degree of speed reduction is controlled by the rider's position and physical attitude on the skateboard.
It is a feature of the invention that the rider's position for brake engagement is instinctive and is a position that is best suited for the rider to resist the deacceleration forces of braking.
It is another feature of the invention that overbraking will cause a weight shift or dispostion of the rider which automatically disengages the brake.
It is still another feature of the present invention that the rider's position for disengaging the brake is a position best suited for the acceleration of the board after the speed control has been disengaged.
It is a further feature of the invention that the rider's position upon disengagement of the speed control means is the typical and normal riding position for control of the skateboard.
It is still a further feature of the invention that the natural resiliency of the skateboard chassis can be employed to operate a brake that is engaged automatically when the rider is not on the board and when the rider is on the board the brake can be released or engaged by the position and physical attitude of the rider.
It is an additional feature of the invention that existing yieldable, resilient skateboard can be modified to provide a skateboard having the desired speed control means.